LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Tunnel vision

The comments by Let us do something (We The People ByBrian Kiernan — December 24) concerning the need for more supportby both Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg for finding funding tosupport reconstruction or outright replacement of theBrooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) are nothing new.

Construction of any new freight, public transportation tunnel orbridge project can take decades by the time all feasibilitystudies, environmental reviews, planning, design, engineering, realestate acquisition, permits, procurements, construction, budgeting,identifying and securing funding is completed.

This is before the project reaches beneficial use. As years anddecades go by, costs go up by hundreds of millions and evenbillions of dollars.

There has been a series of feasibility studies dealing with theBQE sponsored by various governmental agencies and public officialsover decades. They generated money for consultants along with freepublicity for elected officials who promised a bright future butleft everyone holding an empty bag.

At the end of the day, based upon past history for other largeprojects, don’t count on seeing the shovel in the ground to startre-construction of the BQE before the end of this decade. Who knowsif we will even see a shovel in the ground by the end of thisdecade.

– Larry Penner

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